Audubon CT has announced that the Important Bird Area program has designated Lyme and surrounding areas as an Important Bird Landscape called the Lyme Forest Block. An Important Bird Area is a site that provides essential habitat to one or more species of Connecticut’s breeding and non-breeding birds, many of which are endangered or threatened. Landscape level Important Bird Areas include state-owned as well as privately held lands. Any landowners that are within the boundaries of these landscapes are eligible for the benefits of recognizing their properties as part of the IBA Complex, including eligibility for IBA small grants or utilizing the IBA status as a way to bolster other grant applications. For more information: Important Bird Areas